Equinix Buys Ancotel to Boost Frankfurt Presence

Equinix is the new owner of a major data center at Kleyer90 connectivity hub in Frankffurt, pictured above in a cool evening time lapse. Equinix said today that it has agreed to acquire ancotel GmbH. (Photo: ancotel)netw

Interconnection specialist Equinix has agreed to buy ancotel GmbH of Frankfurt, Germany in a deal that will further boost the strength of its network in one of the world’s most important meeting points for Internet traffic and financial trading.

The acquisition provides Equinix with a data center in Frankfurt with 2,100 square meters of data center capacity. More importantly, it increases the provider’s European network density by adding more than 400 network customers, which includes 200 new networks and 6,000 cross connects.

Frankfurt is one of the world’s busiest data hubs, and home to a major stock exchange that is a focal point for low-latency trading, a key business vertical for Equinix. The ancotel campus in Frankfurt will offer a broad mix of networks from Western and Eastern Europe and beyond, and significant growth opportunities for customers looking to expand their data center footprint. ancotel also owns edge nodes in Hong Kong, London and Miami, giving Equinix additional points of presence in these markets.

Equinix Now Has 900 Network Customers

“The acquisition of ancotel significantly strengthens Equinix’s value proposition and capabilities both in Europe and globally,” said Eric Schwartz, president of Equinix EMEA. “Both companies enjoy strong reputations in the market and serve the world’s leading companies. The agreement will also grow the total number of network customers available at Equinix from 700 to 900.”

“For more than a decade, ancotel’s Kleyer90 has been a key point of interconnection for network service providers in Frankfurt and beyond,” said K.J. Orth, one of the two founders and managing director of ancotel. “The global reach of Platform Equinix bundled with services such as the Equinix Marketplace and the Equinix Ethernet Exchange will add great value for customers looking to expand in Europe and around the world.”

ancotel generated approximately $21.4 million in revenue in 2011, and has seen annual revenue growth of better than 20 percent CAGR for the past three years. ancotel was Founded in 1999, and serves more than 400 customers from 60+ countries.

About the Author

Rich Miller is the founder and editor at large of Data Center Knowledge, and has been reporting on the data center sector since 2000. He has tracked the growing impact of high-density computing on the power and cooling of data centers, and the resulting push for improved energy efficiency in these facilities.

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